Dassel-Cokato Saints Amateur Baseball
The 2011 season has all the makings of another good one for the Dassel-Cokato Saints.
This year, as the Saints transition back to Class C after having played Class B baseball for the last 17 years, one of DC manager Mark Forsman’s biggest goals as a manager was to schedule more games this year, and give more young players the opportunity to get some valuable playing time.
“I’m scheduling more games so we have times when I can tell the veterans to stay home, and we can give some of the younger guys a shot,” Forsman said. “That is going to be my goal, to get those guys acclimated, because this is a step up from high school ball.”
With a healthy mixture of rookies and veterans this year, the Saints will have plenty of guys competing for playing time at each position, starting at catcher.
Returning for another season is DC’s veteran receiver, Matt Bergstrom, who not only has a good reputation for handling the pitching staff well, but is also quite capable with a bat.
Playing behind Bergstrom will be 2010 DC graduate Nich Lingl, who Forsman says should see plenty of time this year when Bergstrom needs a game off.
Moving around the infield, Forsman says the Saints have a variety of guys that can play just about any position he needs them to.
“I’ve got a lot of versatility with guys who can play a lot of different spots,” he said.
Starting at first base, Forsman listed three veterans who would likely be first on the list to take the position.
“We have a variety of guys we can put in over there,” Forsman said. “There is a lot of versatility I have. I can put Brent Opsahl over there, I can put Eric Hanson there, or I can put Cole Flick there. I also have younger kids I can put in there. Whoever is hitting will probably be playing first.”
Some of those younger players that could see time at first include Karsen Forsman, or Kurtzweg.
Out of the three veterans Forsman listed, Opsahl was the strongest offensively last year, as he batted .301 with 13 runs and 11 RBI.
At second base, Forsman is considering some of the same players.
“Second base is going to be kind of a wide open thing,” he said. “I might try Hanson there, Flick will be back, and Brice Berggren can play there.”
Forsman also said Johnson could also figure into the mix at second base.
At shortstop, Forsman has two players in mind he feels are the most likely candidates to fill the position, the problem, one or both might also be needed in other positions.
“I’ve got Brice Berggren and John Hohenstein fighting for that spot,” Forsman said. “John is also a really fast outfielder, with probably the best arm we have on the team.”
Finally, at third base the Saints have Opsahl back again this year, but Forsman may also want to try one of the other utility infielders on hand, including 2009 DC graduate Jordan Flick.
Looking at the outfield situation, Forsman feels this is one of the position areas the Saints are particularly deep in.
“That is probably where we are the strongest,” he said. “We’ve got Dan Birkholz, Hohenstein, Brendon Opsahl, Luke Peterson, and Zach Lingl. That’s a lot of speed, a lot of strong arms, and they can cover a lot of ground.”
On the mound is another area where Forsman is confident the Saints have plenty of capable players.
“Our pitching depth is going to be our strength,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of pitchers, and they are all good pitchers. That is another reason I scheduled so many games, so I can get these guys some innings.”
The biggest issue with DC’s pitchers, according to Forsman, is their confidence, and the hurler he would most like to see recover some swagger is Birkholz.
A couple other pitchers Forsman would like to see get a little more confidence this season are Eric Hanson and Jordan Danielson.
DC’s breakout pitcher last year was Tyler Zweibohmer, who led the team in innings pitched with 69.3, and posted a 2.99 ERA. He was also the Saints’ top reliever with 15 relief appearances.
This season will be much different than previous seasons for the Saints, as they play Class C baseball for the first time since 1993
Although Class C is considered a step down from Class B, Forsman feels the competition in Class C won’t be much different than what they are used to, especially since many other teams in the state made the same move down.
“I don’t think there will be too drastic of a change, especially since we have Maple Lake and Delano coming with us,” Forsman said. “Everyone will have their stud pitchers, but the only difference I see might be the batting lineup. I’ve noticed that the really good Class B teams have hitters one through nine, where as Class C you may have a drop off after six. That might be the only difference, and then maybe some of the smaller things like speed. But, the good C teams could compete at the Class B level.”
